Apparatus for treating sugar containing liquid



April 25, 19331' 1,905,295v

APPARATUS FOR TREATING SUGAR GONTAINING LIQUID l A. LIMA, JR

Fiied sept. Q 1951 zffllffffi, W

65) J4! 51/ 5J) ,96 56/ 52:/ ff ef] In vena-1".' Alfred Lima, Jn

S Any.

Patented Apr. 2s, 1933 UNITED STATES. PATENT ori-ICE ALInEn LIILA, m, or Los ANGELES, cALIIoIsmIA, AssIGNoE. 'ro ELEcTaIia-IED susan. conm, or Los ANGmEs, CALIFORNIA, A conoEA'rIoN or DELAWARE 'APPARATUS Iron 'rzaEArINasIroAn coNtrAINme LIQUID Application illed September 9, 1931. Serial No. 561,840.

.Thisv invention relates to treating sugar f containing liquids and more particularly to do with apparatus for purifying and clarifying such liquids under the electroly- 5 tic method disclosedin my co-pending application, Serial 4Number 453,529, file d May '19, 1930, asIwell as in accordance wlth the methods forming a part of the invention hereof. v

Y An object of the invention is to provide a comparatively inexpensive apparatus with which sugar containing liquids may be electrolyticall purified and Etreated in a particularly t orough and expeditious manner and at a lower cost than has heretofore been poible.

Another object isto provide improxcd sugar-liquid purifying methods which may be readlly and economically practiced to effect a thorou h removal of the impurities from and the ecoloration of the liquid, in a particularly eihcacious manner.

A further object is to rovide in apparatus and Vmethods of t e character described, a comparatively great electrolytic action, whereby to bring about a quicker and more thorough treatment of the sugar containing liquid, with a minimum expenditure of electrical energy.

With the foregoing objects in view, to-

gether with such other objects and advan;

ta es as may subse uently appear, the inventidgn resides in the (parts 'and in the combination, construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed and Illustrated by way of example in the accompanyin drawing, in which:

igure 1 1s a vertical section of apparatus constructed in accordance with thls invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical section of a modified form of the invention; l

Figure 3 is a vertical section of, another modified form;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the plane of line 4-4 of Fi re 2;

Figure 5 is an enlarge fragmentary view of one of the electrodes;

Figure 6 is a top plan view of a sectional electrode.

-One way of increasing the electrolytic ac- A s shown in the accompanying drawing the sugar containing liquid to be treated is placed in a tank or like receptacle 7 and is subjected to an electrolytic ac tion by means of electrodes 8 and 9 energized by an alternating current from a suitable source,

not shown. Suitable means ma be emploed for supporting the electro es in the tan For example, a supporting bar 10 having .hook terminals 11 may be used to support the electrodes as a removable unit, the electrodes being, of. course, insulated from said bar.

While an effective electrolytic action will be produced by use of the electrodes 8 and 9, whereby the sugar containing liquid may be purified and clarified by following the method as particularly pointed out in the aforesaid co-pending application, the treatment ofthe liquid will obviously be greatly improved upon increasing the electrolytic action. The increase in the electrolytic action, however, should be eifected without increasing the consumption of electrical energy, if an economical purifying operation iis to be carried out. This is accomplished in the present invention by the use of su plemental electrodes which are not "direct y connected to Ithe source of elecerical energy.

tion is provided for by the use of an auxiliary electrode 12 supported on the bar 10, in spaced relation to and between the electrodes 8 and 9. In this connection it should be noted that the electrodes 8, 9 and 12 are preferably made of aluminum in order to, effect a chemical combination between 4the aluminum and the salts and free acids contained in the liquid, whereby carbon dioxide is formed.

Referring a ain to the auxiliary electrodey 12 it is seen tlgiat opposite sides thereof are opposed to the electrodes 8 and 9 and that the electric current passing through` the liquid between the electrodes 8 and .9, in the manner -common in producing an electrolytic action, also passes through the auxiliary electrode or in some manner has an effect thereon such as to increase the electrolytic action as a whole withoutconsuming any 100 more electrical energy than is ordinarily required to operate electrodes 8 and 9. The

auxiliary electrode then acts upon its surfaces as do the electrodes 8 and 9 to pro- 5 duce the electrolytic action.

In this way a large ,working surface or electrode area is provided whereby to increase the electrolytic action beyond the extent of such action as may be produced with a given current consumption in the ordinary electrodes 8 and 9. As shown, the auxiliary electrode 12 may be of greater area than the electrodes 8 and 9, whereby to further increase the electrolytic action. Preferably the electrode 12 is longer and wider than either vof the electrodes 8 and 9.

During the electrolytic action the carbon dioxide generated in the liquid under treatment, in the form of minute bubbles form surface of the liquid' and escape to the atmosphere. To facilitate the rise of these bubbles, the lower ends of the electrodes 8,.

9 and 12 are beveled as at 14. By reason of these beveled ends, the gas formed at the lower ends of the electrodes will pass upward along both sides of the electrodes and will not collect at the lower ends of the latter or ass up one side only as would be the case without the beveled ends.

As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the apparatus may be modied so as to providel a greater electrolytic action than is possible with the first described apparatus and without increasing the consumption of electrical energy. In this modified form of the invention, the tank 15 and electrodes 16 and 17 are the s in construction and arrangement as the -t nk 7 and electrodes 8 and 9. However, instead of one auxiliary electrode I employ three designated 1 8, 19 and 20. The auxiliary electrode 19 is disposed be tween the electrodes 18 and 20 and the three electrodes are disposed between the main electrodes 16 and 17. To provide for electrical energization of the `auxiliary electrodes the center one19 is grounded as at 21. With this arrangement the-five electrodes provide for a comparatively great electrolytic action without necessitating the consumption of any more electrical energy than the apparatus shown in Figure 1.

The apparatus shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4 is desi ed to use single phase alternating current ut as shown in. Figure 3, I may, b a simple and inexpensive modification of said apparatus, provide for the use of three phase current and by such use greatly increase'the electrolytic action without ap reciabl increasing the consumption of e ectrica energy.

In this form of the invention the tank 24 .is provided with three main electrodes 25, 26 and 27, each connected by conductors 28,

35 29 and 30 with a source of three phase alteron and adjacent tothe electrodes, rise to the momes nating current, not shown. Disposed bey,

tween the electrodes 25, 26 and 27 are auxiliary electrodes 31 and 32 each of which is grounded as at 33. Between the rounded electrodes and the adjacent main e ectrodes are additional electrodes 34, 35, 36 and 37. each of which is unconnected in the circuit and free from ground connections. f

It is now apparent that by using a three phase current, I may use three main electrodes two grounded auxiliary electrodes and' four additional auxiliary electrodes which latter are free from electrical connection with the source of current or the ground.

These nine electrodes providevfor a maximum electrolytic action with a comparatively small current consumption and atherefore make possible a thorough expeditious, yet most economical purifying operation.

The electrodes. of all the forms of the invention are made of aluminum and each is beveled 'at itsr lower end .for the purposes aforementioned. Each electrode is preferably in the form of an imperforate plate but I may, as shown in Figure 6, use sectional electrodes comprised of three or more sections 38. Such a sectional arrangement is suited for the main electrodes whichare directly connected to the source of current. The sectional construction increases the working area of the electrodes and tends to increase the electrolytic action without necessitating a like increase in current.

The apparatus of this invention is particularly well suited for carryingout the method set forth in my aforesaid copending application lbut may be used for other methods also.

I have found that by adding to the sugar containing liquid to be treated under the aforesaid process or under other process, a powdered aluminum in such quantity that the aluminum articles will be held in suspension throng out the liquid, a great increase in the electrolytic action and in the generation of carbon dioxide are provided with but a small consumption of electric current. Such a method is comparatively inexpensive yet facilitates and increases the yield of white sugar in a particularly efficacious manner.

In this method treatment of the liquid under the electrolytic action requires less than 45 minutes with the liquid at a temperature y of less than 100 degrees centigrade,-the heat generated by the electrodes usually being suicient to provide and maintain this temperature. Although I find in the present method, as in my former application, that it is desirable to use carbon in the form of powdered animal charcoal as a decoloration agent during the period of subjecting the liquid to the electrollytic action, such carbon may be omitted an yet the advantages of the aluminum powder will be present. In

fact the use, as aforesaid, of powdered aluminum will greatly improve any electro-` lytic purifying method.

lVhere the apparatus is used to electro-` lytically purify raw, sugar-containing juice, the additionof a small quantity of sea water to the juice has the elfect of producing decoloration of the juice as well as to facilitate the purifying action.

It will now be seen that the apparatus of this invention and also the methods hereof provide forfa most economical yet eilicacious treating of sugar containing liquid to effect the purifying and decoloration thereof in a thorough manner and to insure a highyield of pure sugars.

I claim: l

1. In apparatus for treating sugar containing liquid, a tank for such liquid, means for subjecting such liquid in said tank to an electrolytic action, comprising aluminum electrodes at least one of which is uncon- `nected with the source of electrical energy for the other of said electrodes, except through the conductivity of the electrolyte during the electrolytic action, and means for grounding said unconnected electrode.

2. In apparatus for treating sugar containing liquid, a tank for such liquid, means for subjecting the liquid to an electrolytic action, including electrodes certain of which are unconnected from the source of electric current for the other electrodes, and means for grounding one of said unconnected electrodes.

Y 3. In apparatus for treating sugar containing liquid, a tank for such liquid, means for subjecting the liquid to an electrolytic action, including electrodes certain of which are unconnected from thesource of electric .current 'for the otherelectrodes, and means for groundingr one of said unconnected electrodes, the other of said unconnected electrodes being-disposed on opposite sides of the grounded electrodes.

4. In apparatus for treating sugar containing liquid, a tank for such liquid, means electrodes located between the connected electrodes and said grounded electrode, and being independent of electrical connection with said source of current.

6.A In apparatus for treating sugar containing liquid, a tank for such liquid, means being independent of electrical connection with said source of current, said first named electrodes being smaller in area than the other electrodes.

ALFRED LIMA, J R.

for subjecting the liquid to an electrolytic t action, including electrodes certain of which are unconnected from the source of electric current for the other electrodes, and means for grounding one of said unconnected electrodes, the other of said unconnected electrodes being disposed on opposite sides of the grounded electrodes and between the electrodes which are connected with the source of electrical energy.

5. In apparatus for treating sugar containing liquid, a tank for such liquid, means in the tank for subjecting the liquid to an electrolytic action, including electrodes directly g connected with a source of alternating current, another electrode between the first named electrodes, means for directly grounding the second named electrode, and other 

